The invention relates to a process for regulating a heat treatment of food, particularly the cooking of meals by means of steam or a steam/air mixture, in a cooking area and by a steam supply regulatable subject to a sensor.
The invention also relates to an apparatus which is particularly suitable for performing such a process.
In a known process of the aforementioned type (cf. German Patent 27 31 191), control or regulation is carried out in such a way that the penetration of excess steam into a steam trap arranged in the base of the cooking area is detected by a heat sensor arranged in said drain. Under normal conditions, such a process control of the steam supply into the cooking area is satisfactory. However, the known process also suffers from disadvantages. The condensate flowing out through the condensate drain and particularly the fat dripping from food and which partly also flows through the same, heats the condensate drain. Thus, the heat sensor is constantly subject to a relatively high temperature. It is admittedly possible to arrange the heat sensor at a greater distance from the cooking area opening of the condensate drain. However, this has a disadvantageous effect on the control speed, because then the excess steam must initially pass a considerable distance into the condensate drain, before steam production can be disconnected as a result of the sensor responding.
With respect to this shortcoming, from the process standpoint a problem of the present invention is to provide a process for controlling a heat treatment of food by the use of steam or a steam/air mixture in a cooking area and a steam supply regulatable subject to a sensor, so as to at all times permit a reliable, rapid control.